


It's A Date

by nepenthe_writer



Series: WinterIron Bingo [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Blind Date, Fluff, Game Shows, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-14 11:24:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19272301
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nepenthe_writer/pseuds/nepenthe_writer
Summary: Tony gets roped into a blind date game show against his will but finds that the prize might just be something worth competing for





	It's A Date

**Author's Note:**

> Square: N2 - Game Show for the WinterIron Bingo

“I still don’t understand why I have to be the one to do this,” Tony protested as he sat in the makeup chair getting foundation blended under his eyes to try and hide the dark circles from one too many late nights in his lab recently.

He was on the edge of a breakthrough with the arc reactor technology that had stumped his father. He could just feel it and he wasn’t about to let something as inconsequential as sleep stop him from making a breakthrough. He also wasn’t happy about letting a publicity stunt for Stark Industries stop him either, even as temporarily as it was.

“I get having good publicity and everything but shouldn’t you be the one doing this? You are the CEO of Stark Industries now. One would think that a blind date game show should fall on your plate now and not mine,” Tony continued as the stylist moved on to his hair. He wasn’t sure why that mattered since his potential date wouldn’t be able to see him but apparently the audience needed to be suitably impressed.

“First of all,” Pepper began as she watched Tony getting put together for the show. “You wouldn’t have wanted to do this even if you were still the CEO. Second of all, while you may not be the CEO anymore it is still your name on the company, you are the head of R&D, and people still most associate the company with you. Third of all, the guest in question isn’t attracted to women so it wouldn’t really have worked with me representing the company now would it?”

Tony mock glared at her over the stylist’s shoulder. “Do you have a list? Seriously, did you make a list just on the off chance that I would complain about being paraded around like some eye candy just for the benefit of the company?”

Pepper smirked but played along. “First of all,” she said earning a groan from the man, “it wasn’t an off chance that you would complain. It was practically a guarantee so yes I did make a list. It just seemed more efficient that way. Secondly, you’ve been cooped up for so long Tony. I just want you to get the chance to go out and meet someone that will make you happy. Even if nothing comes of the date you still should go out there and have some fun.”

The stylist finished what she was doing and walked out of the room leaving just Tony and Pepper behind. It was quiet as they both thought over what Pepper had said.

“I worry about you Tony,” she admitted. “You’re such a caring person but you always have your guard up. I know it’s for good reasons but it doesn’t give people the chance to get to know you. I know that you’ll always have me and Rhodes but is that really enough? I worry that you’re going to end up lonely if you don’t put yourself out there.”

Tony stood up from the chair and walked over to where Pepper was standing and pulled her into a gentle hug. Instantly arms came up and wrapped around Tony as the two of them held each other before stepping apart a minute later. While they were friends and didn’t mind sharing physical affection for one another it would be more of a headache than it was worth for someone to see them and start spreading rumors about them as a couple, especially given that Tony was here to potentially go on a date with someone else.

“You don’t need to worry about me Pep,” Tony said as he gave her hand a squeeze. “I’m not lonely. I may not have a lot of people close but the ones that I do have more than make up for that. However, if it makes you feel any better, I won’t go out there and deliberately try and make the guy not pick me. Not saying that he will but whatever happens, happens and all that. Is that a good enough promise?”

“I suppose that will have to do for now,” Pepper said with a fond smile. “Will that be all Mr. Stark?”

Tony smirked at the familiar turn of phrase. “That will be all Ms. Potts.”

With that Pepper left the room to go join the audience for the taping of the game show leaving Tony alone. Taking a look in the mirror Tony ran his fingers through his hair making it look a bit more natural than the flair the stylist had left it in.

Five minutes passed by before an intern came to get Tony to bring him out to the stage. The lights were bright making it difficult to see beyond the first few rows of the studio audience that would be in attendance to watch the taping of today’s game show. Tony was used to being on stage and in front of cameras however and so wasn’t affected by the changing light level as the stage hands worked to make sure each shot would look good.

The intern that had gotten Tony directed him to the last unoccupied chair located closest to a partition that ran the length of the stage preventing anyone on his side from seeing anyone on the other side and vise versa which was the entire point. What kind of blind dating show would it be if the guest star could see the potential dates before making their pick? The audience and cameras however had a good view of the whole stage and would be able to react to everything that was said and done making it more interesting for them as well as the audience at home.

It was only a few minutes later that the audience was quieted, the producer went over the setup and protocols with them one last time, and the opening music was playing to start the show. The audience began cheering as a beautiful blonde woman walked out on stage with a microphone in her hand and took her place right at the center where everyone could focus on her.

Tony quickly plastered on the press smile that he had developed over the years and sat back in his chair ready to go. This might not have been his idea to do but he wasn’t about to embarrass Pepper, the company, or himself just because he would rather be in his lab right now. That didn’t mean that he had to do more than pretend to be interested in winning the date.

“Hello and welcome to Cupid’s Arrow. I’m Christine Everheart and I’ll be playing cupid today as we hope to bring love to our lucky guest but first, let’s introduce you to the three hopefuls that are hoping to win themselves a date, and the heart of our special guest.”

Spotlights came up in varying brightness over Tony and the two other men to his side as each of them was highlighted by the host.

“First up we have Justin Hammer. Justin is the CEO of Hammer Industries and works with the United State military keeping our soldiers safe while they are fighting for our freedom. Next we have Aldrich Killian. Aldrich is the CEO of Advanced Idea Mechanics which works to help those with physical disabilities lead more fulfilling lives. Finally we have Tony Stark. Tony is the former CEO of Stark Industries and the current head of R&D. He is a pioneer in the clean energy movement.”

Tony gave a wave at the camera that he could see focusing on him hoping that it would endear him to both the studio audience as well as the audience watching the show at home even if the guest doesn’t pick him. After all, him being here was all about the positive publicity that it could bring to the company so he had to make sure that he came across as approachable and down to earth as possible.

Tuning out most of the rest of opening monologue Tony let his mind wander over the two other men that would be his competition today. While he was here because Pepper had talked him into it, Tony couldn’t quite figure out how Killian or Hammer had ended up on the show. True both of them had jealous streaks a mile wide even if they were good at hiding it most of the time and he could see them coming on the show just to try and one up him and each other. At the same time Tony could also admit that he wasn’t too much better and was becoming more interested in being the one to win the date with whoever the guest turned out to be if only to get under Killian’s and Hammer’s skins. Tony was brought out of his thoughts of showing up the other two CEOs and back to the present when the music changed and the audience began clapping.

“Today for our special guest looking for love we have Sergeant James Barnes of the 107th Infantry Regiment, honorably discharged and looking to start a new phase in his life,” Christine said cheerfully.

The audience erupted into applause as Tony presumed the man entered on the other side of the partition and took his own seat out of sight. It was clear to Tony just how scripted the introduction was even in comparison to his and the other two contestants.

“Hello James,” Christine said walking across the stage to face the main guest once the audience had been quieted back down by the show’s stage hands.

“Hello Christine,” James replied.

Tony couldn’t help raising an eyebrow at the Brooklyn drawl in James’ voice and let one corner or his mouth twist up in a smirk. This whole thing might not have been Tony’s idea but that voice definitely lit a few sparks inside of him making him want to hear more, maybe have a conversation with the other man and see if he checked off any of his other boxes for what he looked for when he got to pick his own date. Maybe this entire ordeal wouldn’t be such a waste of time after all.

“First of all, thank you for being here today James,” Christine chirped.

“Thank you for having me on here today Christine,” James replied in a practiced casual tone.

If Tony had to guess he’d say this hadn’t been James’ first idea for what to do with his day either but when you were approached to represent the military and returned veterans you didn’t turn the request down any more than you did when your CEO talked you into coming onto a dating game show.

“Now the set up is very simple,” Christine began, explaining to any first time viewers how things would work. “On the other side of this partition there are three contestant, all highly skilled businessmen, that you will ask questions to. They will in turn answer. At the end you will consider everything that you have learned about the three of them and will pick one to go on a date with, all expenses paid for be Cupid’s Arrow. Do you have any questions for me?”

“I don’t think so. Sounds pretty straightforward to me. Contestant One, what would we do for our first date?” James asked after a moment.

Tony couldn’t decide if there had been a hint of hesitation in James’ voice or if it was his imagination. Either way he wouldn’t judge if James was trying to put this off as much as he could if this truly hadn’t been his idea in the first place.

“Well first I’d pick you up in my limo and take you to Carbone in Greenwich Village. They’re the most exclusive restaurant in New York and always keep a table reserved for me. After that we’d go out to a show. Believe me, Hamilton tickets are easy to come by for someone like me,” Justin bragged shamelessly.

Tony was just barely able to stop himself from rolling his eyes at Justin’s clumsy attempt to show off. As much as what Hammer was saying was off putting, Tony was sure that his and Killian’s reactions were being recorded for the show and he didn’t want to give Pepper any room to complain. That didn’t stop Justin’s description of a date to sound like nails on a chalkboard to Tony.

He knew he wasn’t the best at subtlety but even he knew that Justin’s date was needlessly over the top with the only point of it to be to show off his money. Tony would even bet that the man couldn’t even make any of that actually happen with the exception of getting a limo.

“Thank you Contestant One,” James said with a note of hesitation in his voice. “That certainly sounds like an … interesting time. Contestant Two, what would you say is your favorite possession?”

Killian smirked as he leaned back in his chair, cocky and confident in his answer and his chances.

“I’d have to say it’s my brain,” Killian answered, tapping his head with two fingers as though the audience wouldn’t have been able to figure out where it was located without the gesture. “I’m not a material possession kind of guy. My brain is what I can count on the most. It’s what has allowed me to build up a think tank to work on harnessing the power of the brain, tapping into its hidden potential, and using that to give back to those that were born or were blown into less fortunate circumstances. Like your fellow soldiers still out on the battlefield instead safe at home. We contract with the military by the way to help out those that can’t get by on their own anymore.”

Killian smiled at the camera sure that he had impressed by turning the question to highlight his company and what they did rather than answering just what was asked. It took all of Tony’s strength not to roll his eyes at the display.

A long silence filled the air before James cleared his throat and replied, “That’s, that’s great Contestant Two. Contestant Three, what kind of things do you like to do in your free time?”

Tony couldn’t help but chuckle at the question determined to at the very least not make as much of an ass of himself with his answer as the other two had. “To be candidly honest I don’t have much free time to speak of given my job.”

There was light laughter from the audience at the answer before Tony continued.

“When I do have some time to myself I like to science it up. I’ve got a lab that I like to tinker in making new things, robots are a bit of a specialty of mine. I also like poking around science museums. The Vanderbilt Planetarium has some shows I’ve been interested in going to see. There’s The Dark Matter Mystery but I admit that I also have the guilty pleasure of wanting to see Laser Zeppelin.”

A sharp laugh came from the other side of the partition like the person making the sound hadn’t expected to be told something so simple after the last two answers.

“A classic rock kind of guy are you?” James asked.

“Oh definitely,” Tony replied easily, whole body relaxed, not having expected to be enjoying himself as much as he was right now. “Can’t get into a good engineering groove without some good music you know?”

After that they went through a few more rounds of James asking each of them questions to try and get a better read on them with a few pauses where commercials would be added in later. It all followed much the same pattern as the first round. James would ask a question, Justin would give an answer trying to show off, Killian would be condescending with his replies, and Tony just had fun answering with whatever was off the top of his head.

Eventually one of the shows interns started holding up cue cards indicating that the show needed to start wrapping up and Christine took a more active role once more.

“Well it seems like you’ve gotten a lot of information to think over. We’re going to take a quick break and when we come back James will let us know which of the three contestants he’s chosen to take out on a blind date. When we return,” Christine signed off to have the final commercial edited in later once the show was ready for viewing. After giving James a few minutes to actually think about what he had heard the cue from the cameraman had Christine launching back into the intro, “And we’re back here with James as he tells us which of our lucky contestants he’s decided to ask on a date. So James, who’s the lucky man going to be?”

Tony sat there feeling a surprising amount of anticipation given that he hadn’t originally wanted to be here as the silence dragged on for an agonizing minute.

“Well they all had something going for them,” James said in a way that Tony could only believe was him trying to be diplomatic. “However I think there’s only one that really clicked with me and that was Contestant Three.”

The studio audience began applauding as Tony stood up from his chair leaving behind Hammer and Killian as they both glowered at his back and walked around the partition to James’ side catching a glimpse of the man for the first time. James was sitting on the edge of his chair, hair pulled back into a man bun that Tony just wanted to run his fingers through. A nice pair of jeans hugged well muscled thighs and a black button down shirt that Tony was certain was a size too small emphasized a strong chest without drawing attention to the empty sleeve on the left.

James’s eyes widened as Tony walked around the partition and held out his hand for James to shake. For a moment James just sat there not reacting before shaking off the surprise of seeing one of the most eligible bachelors in New York walking over to him and quickly stood up to shake Tony’s hands back.

“Nice to meet you face to face,” Tony greeted making sure to keep his smile nice and big for the camera.

James followed Tony’s lead and smiled back, a little tightness around the edge of the smile but not enough to indicate that he was regretting the whole ordeal, more that he was ready to be off the stage and no longer the center of attention.

“Well that wraps up our show for today. Stick around next time to see if love will strike again here on Cupid’s Arrow,” Christine said closing out the end of the filming.

Five seconds later “cut” was yelled and the lights dimmed down to a more reasonable level as stage hands swarmed out to begin getting everything reset for the next filming in an hour. The intern that had retrieved Tony from his dressing room earlier came back over and lead him and James off the stage and out to the main waiting room. Tony took a moment to look over his shoulder as they walked away to sneak a glance at Hammer and Killian and couldn’t stop the please smile from taking over his face when he saw them sniping at each other.

“If the two of you could just wait here someone from management will be with you in just a minute to help set up the date,” the intern said ushering them into the room before turning on his heels and walking back out again.

“So, I suppose I should introduce myself to you then. Unless you want to keep calling me Contestant Three,” Tony joked.

James chuckled, more relaxed now that he was away from everyone watching him. “I don’t know. I might enjoy getting weird looks for something other than missing an arm,” he said, shrugging his left shoulder and letting the empty sleeve wave. “Besides, I’m not sure anyone in the city wouldn’t recognize Tony Stark.”

Tony just shrugged in return, smile forming on his lips. “Wouldn’t be the first time someone’s given me looks for odd behavior. Doubt it will be the last. So how did you get roped into all of this?”

“That obvious huh?” James asked with a small smile. “My friend Stevie was supposed to be the one paraded around like a trained monkey given how much the higher ups just seem to love him. Then the punk thought parachutes were optional on one of the training exercises and now he’s sitting pretty on the couch with a broken leg probably laughing his ass off at me having to take his place because he took all the stupid with him.”

Tony threw his head back and laughed. “That sounds like just the way my friend Rhodey would talk about some of the things that I get up to.”

“So what I’m hearing here is that if this date goes well I’m just gonna end up with another punk on my hands that I’ve got to watch out for and keep from getting into trouble?” James quipped back easily.

Looking James up and down slowly to make it clear that he was checking out the other man Tony grinned. “You’re more than welcome to try but considering no one else has been successful so far I’m not so sure your odds are that great.”

“Well how about this doll? We go see one of those planetarium shows you were talking about, then you come back to my place, and I give you a taste of the incentives that you could get when you behave yourself?” James suggested letting his own eyes wander, lingering for a moment at his hip and the nice round ass he had taken a minute to admire on their way to the waiting room.

Taking a step closer Tony smirked and tipped his head back to look up at James through his lashes. “I can think of a few incentives that just might work.”

“It’s a date then.”


End file.
